| Unit Name: | 11th Flotilla |
| Native Name: | שייטת הנחתות |
| Country: |  Israel |
| Type: | Amphibious warfare flotilla |
| Dates: | 1948-1957, 1964-1993, 2022-present |
| Size: | 2 Ships (Currently with plans for more) |
| Garrison: | Ashdod Naval Base |
| Nickname: | Amphibious Flotilla |
| Notable Commanders: |
|
| Identification Symbol Label: | Warrior pin |
The Landing flotilla officially known as the Shayetet 11 is the Amphibious warfare fleet of the Israeli Navy. It is tasked with amphibious landings and logistics. The unit established during Israeli War of Independence was abolished in 1993 and was re-established in 2022.
The function of the unit is amphibious landings and naval encirclement. In preparation for the Israeli War of Independence, its role was defined as the creation of coastal bridgeheads and transport of supplies to isolated settlements. From then till 1993, the flotilla took part in many wars and many operations when it was abolished. It was re-established in 2022 and became operational in 2024 amidst the backdrop of Israel Hamas war.
The table below includes the vessels that were used by the flotilla.[1]
| + | ||||
| Name | Service | Notes | Commanders | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INS Hanna Senesh (Sh-29) | 1948–1951 | In Operation Ben Ami, a force from the Carmeli Brigade landed in the captivity of Zion and evacuated the families of kibbutzim the Western Galilee to the Port of Haifa. Brought a force from the 22nd Battalion of the Carmeli Brigade to raid the Litani bridges - "Operation Kathriel" which was canceled due to the entry of the first ceasefire (June 11, 1948) | Israel Averbuch Shaul Avni | |
| 2 British tank landing crafts | Length 48 meters, width 9 meters, thrust 300 tons, 3 propellers, 10.5 knots. Charger: up to 5 tanks weighing 30 tons; or 3 tanks weighing 50 tons; or 9 trucks; or 250 tons. | |||
| INS Nevertheless | July 1948 – 1958 | Originally a missile boat LCT(r)-147 landing Battalion training, during Suez crisis. It was planned to land a force in the Gaza Strip.[2] The landing craft is on display at the Israeli Navy Museum | ||
| INS Gush Etzion (F-39) | July 1948 – 1957 | Originally tank landing craft LCT-256, also known as "Perto". It practiced landings on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea (1949) during training exercises. | ||
| 2 German tank landing crafts | Length 36 meters, width 10 meters, thrust 300 tons, 3 propellers, 10 knots. | |||
| INS Yad Mordechai (P-25) | 1948–1957 | |||
| INS Beit Arava (P-33) | 1948–1957 | |||
| 2 American amphibious craft | Length 48.5 meters, width 8.5 meters, displacement 387 tons, 2 propellers, 14 knots. | |||
| INS Ramat Rachel (P-51) | December 30, 1948 – 1960 | Collection of war booty from the Sinai coast and the capture of the MiG-15 from the Lake Bardawil and the Battle of the Chinese Farm. | Hadar Kimchi Yehuda Ben-Zur Meir Lubochinsky | |
| INS Nitzanim (P-53) | December 30, 1948 – | |||
| 6 American Tank landing craft | Length 15 meters, width 4.3 meters, thrust 60 tons, 2 propellers, 11 knots. They were used to transport AMX-13 tanks. | |||
| INS Machs (32,38 & 40) | ||||
| 4 Amphibious Assault Ships | 1949–1967 | Two ships assisted by providing cover from the during the battle of Taba. Four ships assisted the 9th Brigade's advance along the Sinai coast.[3] | Gad Asher | |
| 3 36m Landing Crafts | length 36 meters, width 6 meters, displacement 122 tons, 2 propellers, 10 knots and can carry two tanks or five BTR APCs | |||
| INS Etzion Geber (P-51) | March 1962 – 1982 | Participated in Operation Raviv Was transferred to the Mediterranean Sea during the First Lebanon War, was returned to Eilat for decommissioning, remained in Eilat and was used as a base for fish farming. It was transferred to Letron in October 2016 for conservation.[4] | Rabbi Chaval Yitzchak Aharonovich, Yosef Harari, Ehud Aral, Uri Sela, Israel Petchnik, Yigal Bar Yosef, Yaakov Abarshi, Shoki Bornstein, Mordechai Dekel, Moshe Miller | |
| INS Caesarea (P-53) | October 15, 1964 – March 1983 | Operation Raviv was transferred to Ashdod by land, returned to Eilat via the Suez Canal and transferred again to the Mediterranean Sea during the First Lebanon War | Yaakov Nitzan, Shmuel Shabach, Yosef Diamant, Shaul Horev, Yossi Levy, Hugo Shimron, Haim Markowitz, Gershon Neve, Yaron Goldstein, | |
| INS Shekmona (P-55) | May 13, 1965 – March 1983 | Operation Raviv | David Ezer, Aryeh Harel, Shmuel Sharig, Tsiki Hakhalai, Arie Amitai | |
| 3 60m Landing Craft | Length 60 meters, width 10 meters, displacement 730 tons, 3 propellers, 10.5 knots can carry 6 Centaurion tanks or 16 APCs | |||
| Tamsah (SG 20) | War of Attrition | An open barge consists of 20 floating units and is driven by two external engines. | Combat Engineering Corps (Israel) | |
| INS Ashdod (P-61) | March 23, 1967 – | The Six Day War and 1982 Lebanon War, sold for commercial use | Yaakov Nitzan, Yosef Harari, Avi Rothman, Moshe Levy, Nimrod Gilad, Michy Ringert, Danny Carmeli, Rafi Binyamin | |
| INS Ashkelon (P-63) | May 19, 1967 – | Six Day War, Shayetet 13 assault on Port Said in Operation Lady, sold to Eritrea | Yaakov Nitzan, David Ezer, Gabi Shilo, Amnon Tadmor, Nati Motoki, Omer Levbi, Udi Yoshua | |
| INS Akziv (P-65) | June 1967 – | Operation Birds of Eden, participated in the 1982 Lebanon War, later sold to Eritrea. | Shmuel Shevah, Shamai Bar-On, Reuven Paamoni, Avi Shaf, Omer Levbi, Udi Yoshua, | |
| MS AMALIA | June 1967 | Temporarily leased from a Greek owner during Six Day War | R/H Rami Zolberg | |
| INS Bat Yam (T-83) | 1968– | Originally a Dutch merchant ship, displacement 1250 tons, speed 10 knots, shot down an Egyptian plane during the Yom Kippur war. Sailed to South Africa and refueled a pair of Saar 2 ships in Operation Beauty | Rabbi Uzi Tzulof, Rabbi Aharon Marni, Mike Elder, David Atzmon, Moshe ben-Yashi, David ben Bashat, Yehoshua Marom, Raphael Zandberg | |
| INS Bat Galim (T-81) | 1968–1970 | Originally a Dutch merchant ship, length 80 m, width 16 m, displacement 2500 tons, speed 9 knots, crew 35 people, sunk by Egyptian commandos in the port of Eilat | Major Zeev Ariel | |
| 3 American LSM tank landing amphibious craft | Length 60 meters, width 10 meters, displacement 1095 tons, 2 propellers, 12.5 knots. Capable of sailing in the open seas that saw use in the World War. The tank deck is above the waterline, a high ratio of engine power to thrust, powerful pumps for transferring water to the bow tanks, a sharp bow front door and a separate long drawbridge. | |||
| INS Ofir (F-91) | 1970–1976 | Yom Kippur War | Arie Marmari, Yigal Bar Yosef, Zev Goldatsky, Moti Michaeli Raphael Zandberg | |
| INS Sheba (P-93) | 1970–1976 | Uri Sela | ||
| INS Tarshish (P-95) | 1970–1973 | Later used as a housing unit | ||
| INS Bat Sheva (F-57) | June 1969 – 1990 | Length 95 meters, width 11.5 meters, displacement 1892 tons, 4 propellers, 11 Nozaite connection. Carrying capacity of 12 tanks Centaurion tanks in the warehouse deck and 24 APCs M-113 in the upper deck. Transported many forces during the 1982 Lebanon War. After retirement it was sunk in a naval exercise | Zvi Givati, Shaul Horev, Mike Elder, Chaim Geva, Aryeh Marmari, Yossi Levy, Marom Yehoshua, Mordechai Dekel, Danny Carmeli, Gershon Neve, Aharon Shapir, Yitzchak Cremona | |
| Gal-Noa A\M Dan | 1970 | Exercises | ||
| INS Bat Galim 2 | March 1978 – | Major Aryeh Gabish, Major Ilan Bokhris, Major Uzi Tishel, Major Rafi Binyamin | ||
| A/M Yasmin | Participated in 1982 Lebanon war for the landing of an artillery group in the port of Beirut[5] | Lt. Col. Udi Aral, R/H Micha Zand, Eli Yaffe | ||
| INS Nachshon | August 2023 – present[6] | Israel-Hamas war | ||
| INS Kommiat | June 2024 – present[7] | |||
Before the Israeli War of Independence the Palmach submitted a proposal to David Ben-Gurion in which the duties of the Israeli Navy were defined including amphibious assaults, reinforcement of operations, protection of coastal settlements, transportation of landing troops and vehicles, supply of fuel and equipment were included for which a specialised landing unit "Shayetet 11" was established.[8]
During the war, Nahariya was cut off from the rest of Israeli territory so the supply of troops and equipment to the isolated area was carried out by sea. On May 12–13, 1948, the 22nd Battalion of the Carmeli Brigade was transferred from the Port of Haifa to Nahariya. In addition, about 15 tons of supplies were transferred for the Hanita and Mitzva settlements, 3 tons of explosives and ammunition, 1000 gallons of gasoline and medical supplies. On May 14/15, 300 women and children, who were evacuated from the Western Galilee were evacuated to Haifa by the Flotilla.[9]
Operation Ben-Ami began on the night of May 14, 1948 with the occupation of Tel Acre. This occupation allowed the passage of the convoy that left the Ein al-Faretz to the north. The naval force of the Flotilla (transporting 22nd battalion of Carmeli Brigade) landed at 02:30 on the beach of Shebi Zion and began to attack the village of Samaria from the north. In the morning the force arrived at Nahariya. From there the force continued to the village of Aziv which was captured.[10] [11]
This operation was a planned naval landing on the coast of Lebanon. The operation was set to take place on June 9, 1948. On June 10, the troops boarded INS Hana Sanesh and set sail. When they were close to the target location in Lebanon, a cancellation order was received due to a truce about to take effect.[12]
During the Operation Death to the Invader Israel Defense Forces attacked Beit 'Affa by a company of the Flotilla and 54th battalion of the Givati Brigade. The naval unit advanced through a wadi from the north, hoping to surprise the Egyptians, but were in fact spotted while preparing to set up. At midnight, they emerged and attacked in two prongs, and despite heavy fire, managed to capture a frontal position and pushed ahead to the center of the village, setting up there and exchanging fire with the Egyptians.[13]
During Operation Horev a battalion of the Golani Brigade and personnel from Shayetet 11 launched a diversionary attack on positions near the Gaza-Rafah road, however the vessels of Shayetet 11 were not used and instead rubber boats were used due to convert nature of the operation.[14] [15]
During Operation Olive Leaves, Aharon Davidi's 771 Reserve Paratrooper Battalion as well as units from the Nahal Brigade and Givati Brigade commenced their attack. The complex operation involved a two-column attack from the north and south, which included both infantry and armored vehicles, as well as an amphibious assault conducted by troops of the Flotilla who crossed the sea by boat.[16] [17] [18]
During Operation Kadesh, three amphibious vehicles were sent from Eilat to Sharm-e-Sheikh with AMX-13 tanks on them . Additional landings took place on the Gaza and Sinai coasts for logistical purposes including the seizure of an Egyptian MiG-15 that landed in Lake Bardawil.
During the Battle of the Chinese Farm Matt's brigade began moving to Tasa at 4:30 pm on October 15, before turning eastwards on Akavish. The paratrooper brigade faced problems in acquiring the boats and transports assigned to it. But they ultimately had to use the flotilla boats.[19]
Before the Six Day War, the Flotilla acquired new vessels from the budget allocated by the Finance ministry,[20] following vessels were acquired
Before the Six Day War the AMX-13 tanks were placed on the south coast and moved to the north of the gulf. The Flotilla vessels were also brought ashore and hidden in a wadi behind the base.[21]
During the Six Day War, the Flotilla in the Gulf of Eilat accompanied the Paratroopers Brigade on its way south, provided cover and even landed tanks in the Gulf of Sharm el-Sheikh.[22]
During Operation Raviv "Pinko" Harel's small force of about a hundred men, six Tiran 5s and three BTR-50s, landed on the Egyptian coast at 03:37AM on the morning of September 9. Delivered by three vessels of the Flotilla to a beachhead secured by Shayetet 13, Harel's force landed at El Hafair, 40km (30miles) south of Suez and 20km (10miles) south of the anchorage at Ras Sadat.[23] Laden with extra fuel and ammunition supplied by the Flotilla, the force headed south, wreaking havoc behind Egyptian lines and attacking installations along the way. The first of these was the Egyptian Army camp and radar site at Abu Darag, which by 07:17 had been secured.[24] [25]
In 1970, Egyptian naval commando carried out a sabotage operation at Eilat Naval Base and damaged a vessel of the Flotilla INS Bat Sheva lander sank the INS Bat Galim.
The Flotilla participated in the Operation Lady. On October 16, 1973, a group of Flotilla vessels led the Shayetet 13 to attack Port Said. The operation was carried out successfully and multiple Egyptian vessels were damaged or destroyed.[26]
The Flotilla participated in the Operation Green Light which was to carry out an amphibious landing on Egyptian Red Sea coast but the operation was aborted mid way.[27]
During the Operation Abirey-Halev, On the night of 15 October, 750 personnel of Colonel Matt's 55th Paratroopers Brigade crossed the canal in rubber dinghies.[28] They were soon joined by tanks and additional infantry transported via the vessels of the Flotilla. The force encountered no resistance initially and fanned out in raiding parties, attacking supply convoys, SAM sites, logistic centers and anything else of military value, with priority given to the SAMs. Attacks on SAM sites punched a hole in the Egyptian anti-aircraft screen and enabled the IAF to strike Egyptian ground targets more aggressively.[29] [30]
Three vessels of the Flotilla were transferred from Ashdod Naval Base to Eilat Naval Base by circumnavigating around Africa, It was codenamed "Operation Birds of Eden". The first vessel left on August 20, 1974, and the last arrived on October 30, 1974.[31]
The flotilla vessels participated in the Lebanese Civil War to supply weapons and ammunition to the Christian phalanges forces in Lebanon usually by landing to the port of Junia.
The flotilla took part in 1978 South Lebanon conflict against militants on the northern shores of Lebanon, without landing troops. The vessels were used as carrier platform for helicopters that attacked targets on the Lebanese coast.[32]
The flotilla participated in the 1982 Lebanon War. On June 6, 1982, Israeli forces under direction of Defense Minister Ariel Sharon launched a three-pronged invasion of southern Lebanon in "Operation Peace for Galilee". Roughly 60,000 troops and more than 800 tanks, heavily supported by aircraft, attack helicopters, artillery, and missile boats, crossed the Israel–Lebanon border in three areas. Simultaneously, Israeli armor, paratroopers, and naval commandos set sail in amphibious landing ships from Ashdod Naval Base towards the Lebanese coast north of Sidon. Israel's publicly stated objective was to push PLO forces back 40km (30miles) to the north. An Israeli amphibious operation was conducted north of Sidon, beginning with a diversionary bombardment of targets away from the landing zone by missile boats and aircraft. Two groups of commandos from the Shayetet 13 naval commando unit then came ashore to probe enemy defenses and secure the landing site, one of which swam to the mouth of the Awali River and another which came ashore on the landing beach in rubber dinghies. After a brief gunbattle with armed Palestinians, the main landings began, with paratroopers coming ashore in rubber dinghies to establish a beachhead followed by three landing craft that unloaded troops and armor. Over the following days, the three landing ships moved between Israel and Lebanon, shuttling more troops and armor onto the beachhead.[33] [34] [35]
Givati Brigade and a battalion from Golani Brigade were specially trained to act along with flotilla in wartime situations. They were given necessary training to transfer armoured vehicles as well as to assist in transport of tanks.
In August 1993 all of flotilla vessels were taken out of service as they were deemed vulnerable and State-of-the-art fast landing craft were not defined as an operational necessity. So, some were sold to Eritrea while rest were sunk in naval exercises.
In May 2022 it was announced that the Navy decided to re-establish the amphibious fleet, following this the IDF held an amphibious landing exercise in Cyprus[36] and purchased two LSV vessels which will be used by the Israeli Navy to conduct amphibious landings as well as to transport supplies.[37]
The flotilla is operated from Ashdod Naval Base.[37] The first amphibious vehicle, INS Nachshon, was delivered to the Navy in August 2023.[6] The second landing vessel, INS Kommiat, arrived in Israel in June 2024.[38] The squadron became fully operational in 2024 and participated in Israel Hamas war.
It is usually commanded by a single commander but from 1967 to 1978, the command was distributed between two sectors, one housed at Ashdod Naval Base while second at Eilat Naval Base. The dual command was abolished in 1978.
| +Ashdod (Main) Command | ||||||
| Name | Service | Note | Photo | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Israel Auerbach | 1948–1949 | Establishment | ||||
| Yitzhak Gazit | 1953–1955 | |||||
| Yehuda ben-Zur | 1955–1956 | Suez crisis | ||||
| Gap in command | 1957–1964 | The flotilla was closed | ||||
| Baruch Brushi | 1964–1967 | Six Day War | ||||
| Yosef Harari | 1966–1967 | |||||
| Shmuel Shabach | 1967–1968 | Command split | ||||
| Aryeh Shafer | 1968–1970 | War of Attrition and integration of helicopters | ||||
| Musa Levy | 1970–1972 | |||||
| Haim Raz | 1972 – December 1973 | Yom Kippur war | ||||
| Mike Elder | December 1973 - August 1974 | Operation Bids of Eden | ||||
| Yosef Yohanan | 1974 | |||||
| Micha Zand | September 1974 – May 1975 | |||||
| Yigal Bar-Yosef | June 1975 – 1977 | Aid operations for the Lebanese forces including landings on the beaches of Junia and in towing barges loaded with ammunition. | ||||
| Emmanuel Dror | 1977–1978 | The construction of Bas Dafna | ||||
| Haim Lahav | 1978–1981 | |||||
| Mike Elder | 1982 – July 1983 | Second term, 1982 Lebanon war | ||||
| Jacob Reva | April–July 1983 | |||||
| Dodo Iber | July 1983 – August 1985 | |||||
| Isaiah Patuka | August 1985 – September 1987 | Integration of Givati Brigade | ||||
| Rafi Binyamin | September 1987 – June 1989 | |||||
| Yigal Bar Yosef | July 1989 – 1992 | |||||
| Emmanuel Avraham | 1992 – August 1993 | Closure | ||||
| + Red Sea Command (1967–1978) | ||||||
| Name | Service | Note | Photo | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Shmuel Shabach | June–August 1967 | Establishment | ||||
| Major Yosef Harari | August 1967 – | |||||
| Major Miki Ra'anan | April–December 1968 | |||||
| Zev Yehezkali | 1969–1972 | |||||
| Haim Geva | 1972–1973 | |||||
| Yossi Levy | 1973–1974 | Yom Kippur War | ||||
| Musa Levy | 1974 | Operation Birds of Eden | ||||
| Marom Yehoshua | 1976–1977 | |||||
| Mordechai Dekal | 1977-1978 | Abolishment | ||||